This easy dipping sauce for dumplings is seasoned with fresh ginger, garlic and one of the hottest condiments in town — chili crisp (pun intended)! Enjoy with your favorite homemade or frozen dumplings.
Easy Dumpling Dipping Sauce
Asian dumplings in every variety and shape are delicious and one of our favorite things (I say that about a lot of foods, don’t I?) — each country, region and home cook delivering different flavors, techniques and traditions.
I grew up enjoying (and still do), my mom’s nước chấm, a Vietnamese dipping sauce with a fish sauce base that we eat with nearly everything she dishes up. But, when we go for dumplings, it’s a soy-based sauce that we turn to.
Most dumpling sauces begin (and sometimes end) with soy sauce and vinegar, then are flavored with a variety of other items depending on the region or preferences of the cook. Heck, even mom’s nước chấm changes depending on what she has stocked…or how spicy she’s feeling!
Today, I’m sharing my own version of dumpling sauce, seasoned with sesame oil, fresh ginger, garlic, a little brown sugar and chili crisp!
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How to Make Chili Crisp Dipping Sauce
STEP 1: In 1-cup measuring cup, measure out vegetable broth, coconut aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce), rice vinegar, brown sugar and chili crisp. Set it aside.
STEP 2: Peel and mince a small clove of garlic. Peel a 3/4” cube of fresh ginger and grate it on a microplane. You should end up with about 1 tsp of each.
STEP 3: In a small saucepan, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Take care not to burn the garlic.
STEP 4: Carefully pour the broth mixture into the pan and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes to dissolve the brown sugar and warm the sauce through.
The hardest part about this recipe is mincing garlic and grating ginger. Otherwise, how easy is it that?
Ways to Serve Dipping Sauce with Dumplings
Family Style
I place dumplings on a platter, pour a sea of sauce around them, then garnish the dish with sliced scallions, toasted sesame seeds and few strategic drops of additional chili crisp.
This is a great family style way to serve them up as everyone can pluck their own right from the dish. The dumplings will soak up a bit of the sauce, but you can spoon on more before each bite!
For a complete meal, serve alongside some steamed rice and stir fried vegetables.
On the Side
You can also serve the sauce on the side in individual dipping bowls or in a small pitcher that everyone can pour from.
Get Fancy
As part of a tasting menu or hors d’oeuvres for a party, place a dumpling in a single serve spoon or dish and pour the dipping sauce right over. Garnish as you like.
Other Saucy Recipes to Try
- Dublin Coddle Spring Rolls with Mustard Caper Sauce
- Spicy Whiskey Glazed Chicken Wings
- Mushroom Marsala Gorgonzola Sauce
- Hand Chopped Chimichurri Sauce
- Homemade Chipotle Honey Barbecue Sauce
Easy Chili Crisp Dipping Sauce for Dumplings
Equipment
- microplane
- measuring cup
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable broth low-sodium
- ¼ cup coconut aminos or low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ½ tsp brown sugar
- 1½ tsp chili crisp or more, to taste
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp fresh garlic minced, from 1 small clove
- 1 tsp fresh ginger root peeled + grated, from a ¾" cube
- 16 oz fresh or frozen dumplings gyoza, potstickers, shumai, etc.
- toasted sesame seeds + sliced scallions to garnish
Instructions
- Combine vegetable broth, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, brown sugar and chili crisp in a bowl or measuring cup.
- In a small saucepan, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add garlic & ginger and saute for about a minute, being careful that the garlic does not burn.
- Pour in the broth mixture and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to warm the sauce and dissolve the sugar. Set this aside.
- Prepare the dumplings per the package instructions. Transfer to a serving dish. Pour the sauce all around the dumplings or serve on the side in a separate bowl.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimated and provided as a general guideline only.
Pin for later ~ Chili Crisp Dipping Sauce for Dumplings!
Well this sauce looks delicious! And now I really want dumplings haha. I will need to try this sauce next time we have some, I just love a good dipping sauce!
Why, thank you! Go get those dumplings!
This sauce looks so delicious! We got a similar sauce on wantons we bought from Costco once, but I am sure this is a thousand times better!
Thanks! super easy!
Yum! This sounds amazing! I always hate the little packets that come in frozen packages of dumplings and I’ve always wanted to try making my own. Definitely trying!
right? packet, shmacket. It’s almost easier to make to it, then to tear open the packet! 😉
Dumplings are one of my favourite foods! This sauce looks amazing and I’ve never thought to serve the dumplings in a platter with the sauce swimming around it. What a great alternative to simply having it in a separate dipping bowl!
This sounds amazing! I’m totally into dumplings lately.
This looks fabulous! I will pin for later! Yummy!